Food for the Mind, Body, and Soul

Tag: personal

It’s been several months since I last wrote a blog post due to having a busy schedule right now. I intended on sharing a recipe or something strictly food-related for this post, but since the coronavirus is a huge concern of everyone I know (including myself), I’ve decided to share some basic self-care tips that may help others feel more at peace during this time of chaos.

On a personal note, several months ago I was offered a full time position as a clinical dietitian in a busy county hospital. I accepted the position, while still keeping my per diem job at a smaller hospital…and continuing to see a few private nutrition counseling clients…and also teaching a yoga class or two. So, it’s been a crazy few months. I never expected to be working in healthcare during a worldwide pandemic, but here I am. I’m anxious about the situation, and judging by the dearth of toilet paper and non-perishables at several grocery stores I’ve visited, I’m not the only one who is feeling this way. I do think that during times of stress, it’s important to practice skills that can help with anxiety. So, here are my tips:

Practice social distancing, but shift your perspective

COVID-19 is highly contagious, and according to the most recent findings, one person infects 2 to 2.5 others on average without preventative measures. A major preventative measure is to self-isolate, even if you don’t have the virus. Instead of feeling a sense of panic, shift your perspective to viewing this as a collective act of cooperation to protect others. Total self-isolation may not be possible for those who work in healthcare, but social distancing (or avoiding other people whenever possible) can be done whenever possible if you don’t work in healthcare.

Take the CDC’s advice seriously but also take breaks from constantly consuming news about COVID-19

You don’t have to turn a blind eye to the reality of the situation, but constantly consuming information about the pandemic can lead to more anxiety/stress. Instead, try to block out 10-15 minutes of your day to read about current events and when you’re done, do something completely unrelated (like listen to music, go for a walk, call/text your family/friends and talk about a different topic) to avoid ruminating on anything that may cause you stress.

Spend your free time on new (or old) hobbies

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, now can be the perfect time to reacquaint yourself with a hobby or project that you haven’t had the time for to offer some distraction. Read books that you may have collected over the years but never got around to, do something creative, spend time in nature, take a bath or hot shower. Although it might seem tempting to use this time to “treat yo’self” to mindless online purchases, keep in mind that the best forms of self-care are usually free.

Try to eat healthy, avoid hoarding processed food, and try not to use food to cope with stress

There are no proven supplements or any specific way of eating to avoid getting sick with a virus, including COVID-19, but consuming a healthy diet rich in whole,unprocessed food is one way to keep your immune system strong. Feeling a sense of scarcity and panic when food shopping may make you feel like you need to stock up on snacks, frozen dinners, and other convenience foods. Turning to food during times of stress is normal, but when it becomes a habit, it can have longterm negative consequences. By buying highly processed, palatable food, you might feel more tempted to overindulge, especially if its available during times of stress, so I recommend avoiding buying these foods all together (or purchase in small quantities). Instead of using food for comfort, seek out healthy staples, like whole grains, canned/bagged beans, frozen veggies- or buy fresh (which can be frozen) so that you can prepare easy meals at home. Try doing your food shopping online if options are limited in stores. Experiment with recipes using food that you already have.

Let me know if you found any of these tips helpful and feel free to connect with me via Instagram @ theveganrd

Today I’m sharing my on-and-off again relationship with my first love–a powerful elixir named coffee! Coffee and I go way back. I think my love of coffee began sometime in high school and ever since then, I’ve been hooked. In college, I craved the “peppy” feeling that coffee would give me as I studied throughout the night and I loved hanging out in coffee shops near my school (shoutout to The Witches Brew + The Cup on Long Island for fueling my first degree!). Any time I started the day without my daily fix, I would be plagued with debilitating headaches. I realized sometime in my twenties that I was completely dependent on caffeine to get through the day so one summer I attempted to quit coffee cold turkey, and I was actually successful for 45 days! Then I decided to indulge in an iced coffee and it was all downhill from there. I’m exaggerating, but my coffee habit picked up right where it left off.

Coffee is known to be addictive. It’s the most widely available and used stimulant out there, but just because many people are dependent on coffee doesn’t mean it’s bad. Coffee has many benefits and it happens to be a powerful antioxidant that may be useful in preventing some forms of diseases and cancer. Regular coffee drinkers may have a decreased risk of diabetes (just hold the cream & sugar), Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and cancers of the liver and colon.

I’m definitely not anti-coffee, but this summer while I was studying for the RD exam I realized I don’t LOVE coffee like I used to. Ever since I started drinking coffee (over 10 years now), my sleep has been affected. I know coffee can make me anxious at times, but in the past, the energetic coffee buzz was worth it. What changed for me recently was realizing that I actually don’t like that jittery, peppy feeling anymore. As I was driving to take the test, I stopped at Starbucks for my daily ritual, but I was so nervous that I took one sip of coffee and decided that would be my last sip for a while. I couldn’t bare to be any more anxious than I already was.

It’s now been over a week since I had regular coffee (I did drink decaf for the first 3 days) and I feel surprisingly…normal. I didn’t experience any caffeine-withdrawal headaches but I was nauseas for the first few days, which I wasn’t expecting. I think I avoided having headaches by drinking a ton of water and taking naps when needed. I’m not sure how long I’ll be coffee-free. Unlike previous attempts at ditching the bean, I don’t feel like I need to eliminate coffee due to an actual addiction, I’m just kind of over it.

Are you a regular coffee drinker or do you prefer something else? Let me know! I love hearing about other peoples’ views on my (former favorite) caffeine-bean 🙂

Greetings readers! It’s been way too long since I wrote a blog post. I’ve been extremely busy with the clinical rotation of my dietetic internship which has been the focus of my life for the past few months. If you’ve new to this blog or you just need a recap, I’m currently a dietetic intern in order to become a Registered Dietitian (RD). The dietetic internship consists of several rotations in different settings such as hospitals, long term care facilities, community programs, school food service, and others. It’s a necessary step in the process of becoming an RD mandated by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). The process of the “rotations” is similar to how nursing students, MDs-to-be, and physician’s assistants gain experience in different areas of their fields after completing their schooling but before passing the certification tests.

Since January, I’ve been interning at a hospital and learning an immense amount about clinical dietetics. I’ve really been enjoying this experience so far and I would love to work in a clinical setting after the internship and when I pass the RD exam (several months away, but I’m already nervous). Every day I’m exposed to such interesting nutrition-related health problems and I’ve learned that I really enjoy being part of an interdisciplinary medical team.

Some useful guides that I bring to the hospital each day

My typical day begins by reporting to the nutrition office. Each day, I work with one of three preceptors who are all Registered Dietitians. Every day there is a list of patients with some kind of nutrition-related health problem (i.e. diabetes, COPD, obesity, congestive heart failure, etc.) that needs to be addressed by an RD. A nutrition assessment involves reviewing the patient’s medical history, lab work, medications, and most important (for us) talking to the patient about their current diet at the hospital, their typical way of eating prior to admission, and any weight/appetite changes. The most rewarding part of being in a hospital setting is educating the patient on how their diet affects their health. Many people appear to be motivated to change after a hospital stay because no one enjoys being sick and it can be a wake up call to change ones’ habits.

On a personal note, I wish I could report that I’ve been living an exciting life outside of the internship, but in reality, this winter has been all about focusing on my work and trying to keep active at the gym. Winter is my least favorite season, and I typically find that I’m less motivated to do fun activities, but I also know that staying inside all the time can be de-motivating in itself. For me, being outside (even if it’s just a short walk) is necessary to keep the winter blues away.

Beach life is more like burrrr life when it’s winter and you live on Long Island

How do you find motivation during the cold months? Feel free to share, comment, here or through instagram/facebook @vitaminvalentine

October was such a crazy month, that I didn’t get a chance to write a blog post, so consider this post an extended update. In addition to starting another rotation of the dietetic internship (DI), I moved into a new apartment in October. Needless to say, I’ve been a very busy girl these past few months!

I’ll start by sharing some updates about my latest rotations. I’ve been interning in a long term care facility for the past two months. My experience at this facility has been divided into two parts: institutional food service management and clinical long term care. The food service management rotation was surprisingly fun. It takes a lot of work and organization to oversee the management of a food service department, especially in a residential/long term care facility. I learned about forecasting, budgeting, purchasing, and how food is stored and prepared in this facility. I also got to know the food service staff and presented an inservice on food sanitation and teamwork, which are essential in a food service kitchen.

My second rotation at this same facility has been in the clinical area. I’ve been working on nutrition assessments of residents in long term care (LTC) while getting to know the residents, their health conditions, and and how to address health problems using evidence-based nutrition interventions. I’ve found the clinical aspect of this rotation to be a little more challenging than food service, mostly because assessments need to be written in a very particular way and I’m still finding my voice when it comes to making recommendations and writing evaluations. My advice to anyone else going into a clinical rotation of the DI is to learn from each preceptor and try to see everything as a learning experience, especially if you don’t have much clinical experience prior to starting the internship.

Like I mentioned above, October was super busy due to transitioning from one rotation to the next, all while moving my life into a U-Haul and changing homes. I absolutely love my new apartment– it’s so roomy, light, and has such a great energy about it. Growing up, I wanted to be an architect or an interior designer, so I’m having a lot of fun trying to make the best use of space and decorating (on a budget!).

My new room 🙂

I’m hoping the rest of November will be a little more calm now that I’m settled into my new home and in December, I’ll get a short break from the internship (which is definitely welcomed, because every intern needs a break now and then!). I’m looking forward to sharing more updates and info when I start my next rotation 🙂

Greetings readers! It’s been a little while since I last wrote a blog post. May was a pretty busy month for me because I graduated with two degrees! I officially have a second bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in nutrition! Graduating was such a huge accomplishment and a proud moment. School has been a big part of my life for the past several years, so it feels a little weird to not be in class right now. In September, I start the dietetic internship in order to become a Registered Dietitian, and I’ll have to take classes as a component of the program, so I should feel like my normal “academic” self in the fall.

Lately I’ve been relaxing as well getting back to some of my favorite activities that I didn’t have as much time to do this past year. One of these activities is running. I started running for fun and fitness in high school and it became a major stress reliever, until I got injured when I was 17. I took a break from running and then started up again in my early 20’s, but this past year, doing cardio wasn’t my first priority. Now that I have more free time, I’ve been running outside a bunch and going for trail runs, which I love because trail runs are challenging and I get to be surrounded by the beauty of nature.

I love the feeling of the earth underneath my feet

one of my favorite places to run 🙂

A few weekends ago I even did a 5k race in a nature preserve with some friends, but it was definitely not my best race time! The weather that day was 90+ heat and the humidity was high but it was fun, and that’s all that counts.

Before the race started

In addition to relaxing and running, I’ve also been cooking a ton and taking advantage of the farmers market season by using locally grown fruits and veggies in as many meals and snacks as possible. If you want to see more details on my running hobby or my food creations, follow my instagram account @vitaminvalentine or keep checking my blog, as I intend to share a delicious recipe or two in the coming weeks. Thanks for stopping by and reading my update!

February has been a busy month for me, but one of my goals is to write more on Vitamin Valentine. This month has been filled with school assignments (I’m working on my master’s thesis) and some very exciting (yet nerve-racking) professional developments. I submitted my dietetic internship applications this month and I’m hoping to get accepted into an internship. If you’re new to my blog, I’ve been working on a B.S./M.S. in Nutrition for the past four years in order to become a Registered Dietitian (RD). It’s extremely competitive to get into a dietetic internship (DI) and completing the DI is a requirement of the education and training to become an RD, so I’m hoping I match. Nutrition is my passion and I hope to get into an internship in order to gain the knowledge necessary to help people. Registered Dietitians are truly the experts in the nutrition field because of the training and education they receive. I’ve dreamt of becoming an RD for so long, so wish me luck!

Because I’ve been so busy lately, I’ve been finding ways to save time when it comes to preparing healthy food. Sometimes I make a big batch of food and eat the same thing for lunch for a few days during the week, and other times I try to mix it up. Either way, I try to stick with the same formula for making my meals as balanced and colorful as possible. I try to include at least two veggies, a source of protein, and a healthy fat. Sometimes I’ll also add some whole grains, but today I skipped that component. For a “side dish” or snack, I usually stick to fruit or a protein bar. Lunch today was so colorful and delicious. It consisted of a purple potato on top of collard greens, 1/2 a medium avocado, some cherry tomatoes, and a serving of hummus. For my snacks, I had a fruit salad (sliced papaya, kiwi, and pineapple) and a gomacro bar (a vegan protein bar). I also took an apple with me but I decided to save it for another time.

Delicious, colorful, and easy!

It took me about 10 minutes in total to prepare this. Instead of baking the potato, I put it in the microwave, which saves a lot of time. I love preparing my meals ahead of time like this, especially because when I’m hungry at work it’s so tempting to go out and buy something. Do you have any ways to save time or money while staying healthy? Feel free to share below, or connect with me via facebook or instagram @vitaminvalentine

This week I took a vacation from work. Although I find my work fulfilling and rewarding, everyone needs a vacation and I’m no exception. I thought about going somewhere during my time off, but sometimes I find traveling more stressful than it is relaxing so I decided to make this vacation a “stay-cation”.

This past week I’ve been going to the beach and spending a lot of time meditating, which is something that I need to consistently do in order to reap the benefits.

Went to one of my favorite cafes and enjoyed a delicious smoothie and a good read

I also took a few day trips to my favorite towns on Long Island and ate at my favorite vegan restaurants (I might write a separate blog post on that!). This past week I also explored some nature preserves, attended a powwow, and visited a farm that I used to work at many summers ago.

This preserve (Norman J. Levy Preserve) was built on what used to be a garbage dump. The high point where I took the photo from used to be a giant pile of garbage and now is home to native species of grass, small trees, insects, animals and birds.

A picture of the farm I used to work at! I actually worked with the animals but I would love to get my hands dirty working with some fresh produce!

A photo of one of the highlights from the powwow. Group dancing to drums and hymns of Native American tribes made this a magical experience.

While I was relaxing on the beach this week, I decided that I was going to stop drinking coffee for the remainder of my vacation (and hopefully keep this up when I go back to work). I made this decision because I notice sometimes when I drink too much coffee (which can be as little as 1-2 cups per day), I feel really anxious in my stomach– like an annoying, uncertain gut feeling related to nothing in particular which lasts about an hour or two after I’ve overdone it with the coffee. I’ve written about my history of insomnia and sleep disturbances and I know that having any caffeine affects my sleep cycle greatly. I’m hoping that I can keep my cravings for coffee at bay. Tonight my plans include going to a coffee house, so this should be interesting. I’ll give an update soon along with some more info on my favorite vegan restaurants. For more personal updates and (almost) daily food pictures, you can follow me on instagram @vitaminvalentine 🙂